READING, Pa. – The Immaculata men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought battle against Albright 87-83 on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Lions took an early 17-5 lead over the Mighty Macs under five minutes into the game. The Mighty Macs then went on a nine-point run led by Asa Kitchen, who recorded four points and one assist on the run as the Macs came within three at 17-14. The Macs then cut the lead to 22-20 on a three-pointer from Tim Schultice.
 
The rally from the Mighty Macs would be the first of several throughout the first half. Each time the Mighty Macs cut into the Lions' lead, the Lions would respond with a large run of their own to restore their lead. At the half, the score stood 52-40 in favor of the Lions.
 
On the half, Immaculata shot 16-for-33 (48.5%) from the field while Albright shot 20-for-35 (57.1%). Albright also held the advantage in three-point shots, having shot 9-for-14 (64.3%) from beyond the arc while Immaculata shot 7-for-12 (58.3%). (IU TEAM LEADER HERE)
 
For the first 14 minutes of the second half, the score remained steady as the Lions maintained a 12-point advantage, leading the Mighty Macs 76-64 six minutes remaining. The Macs then went on an 18-6 run for the next five minutes, tying the game at 82-82 with 1:17 remaining on the clock. Asa Kitchen scored five points on the run for the Macs while Tyler Tillery and Gregory Vlassopoulos each contributed with four points.
 
Albright then quickly responded with a layup to regain the lead at 84-82. Immaculata then looked to tie the game but could not as Albright made three successful free throws in the final minute, securing the 87-83 outcome in favor of Albright.
 
Though Immaculata played from behind for the entirety of the contest, the two teams owned similar statistics at game's end. Immaculata owned a slightly better field goal percentage of 44.8% (30-for-67) versus Albright at 44.4% (32-for-72). Immaculata also converted on one additional three-point opportunity shooting 12-for-26 (46.2%) versus Albright at 11-for-25 (44.0%). Both teams recorded 43 rebounds as well.
 
The Mighty Macs were led by senior Brandon McCullough, who earned 21 points on the game. McCullough converted four of nine three-point shots and tallied four defensive rebounds. Keith Farmer, meanwhile, led the Macs with eight rebounds while dropping 15 points.
 
The Mighty Macs will return to action on Tuesday as they travel to Washington College (Md.) for a 7:00 P.M. matchup.